KUALA LUMPUR – Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has closed a lane on Jalan Maarof in Bangsar here for repair works over the next two weeks due to a cave-in that happened there after heavy rain last night.
The incident occurred near the Jalan Maarof bus stop, close to the Jalan Telawi commercial district, heading towards Petaling Jaya and Pusat Bandar Damansara, when a culvert barrier collapsed under a bus stop.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the city council said that the section of the road affected was closed on all lanes for all traffic until 5am this morning, for temporary repair works.
“Two lanes (after Public Bank Bangsar to the traffic light) have been reopened for the public after repair works were completed.
“However, one lane has been closed for two weeks to tear down the bus stop, allowing for repair works on the drain and the road.
“The damage happened late last night due to heavy rain, leading to some sections of the road surface to sink,” said the statement.
Meanwhile, Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil told The Vibes that he commended DBKL’s swift action in managing the problem.
The lawmaker said he became aware of the sinkhole after performing his Isyak and tarawih prayers at Saidina Abu Bakar As-Siddiq mosque in Bangsar and was shocked when he saw patrol cars blocking the road from the mosque towards Maybank Bangsar Baru.
He added that a cursory inspection by DBKL’s Emergency Response Team found that a culvert wall had collapsed underneath the bus stop due to heavy rain that occurred around 9pm last night.
“I want to commend the DBKL emergency squad that came within half an hour to one hour of the incident happening. I’m grateful DBKL took quick action and that any remedial action can also be extended to any other areas in Jalan Maarof to ensure there are no similar incidents like this.
“However, there are some questions – particularly with regards how the incident happened, which I hope to find out a bit more from DBKL and perhaps some consultants,” said Fahmi. – The Vibes, May 2, 2021
